horsetrax1

HorseTrax Newsletter #1
December 13th, 2001

In This Issue:

1*What's new?
2*Did You Know?-Melanoma
3*Breed Profile: The Arabian
4*Fun Facts
5*What's in a Name
6*Poems & Quotes
7*Quick History
8*I've Always Wondered...
9*The Reader's Input
10*A Final Neigh
11*References

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What's New?

    I'm very excited to be starting up HorseTrax again!! Some of you already know me from back in January of 2000. Others of you have never heard of me or my newsletter. Well, let me give you a little history of this newsletter and what it is all about.
     January 4th, 2000, I wrote the first HorseTrax newsletter. It came out every two weeks, and I grew from very few subscribers to very many! I was amazed at how many people were interested in what information I had to offer. There were so many contributers and participaters, and I enjoyed making every issue. But then we gave our computer to my brother and his new wife, so I was forced to end my writing. But now, I'm back, and even have a website for my newsletter. Please visit it to participate in the quizzes, surveys, to view pictures of fellow readers and their horses, place classified and penpal ads, and much more!! And be sure to inform your friends of this newsletter and encourage them to subscribe as well. Thanks!!
     Sincerely, Erin and Baron (my purebred Arabian gelding)*

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Did You Know?-Melanoma

    *Attention all owners of gray or white horses*: melanoma, a small tumor, is most frequently found in horses of those colors. It is guessed that by the time a white or gray horse is 15 years old, he will have had at least one Melanoma tumor. Yet sometimes they are small and not very identifiable. Other times, there are several of these hard, small tumors around the anus and tail base. Some cases are easily cured, while others become a constant problem. Either way, be sure to contact your veterinarian if any suspicous lump forms in this area on your horse.
     Other areas that are sometimes affected by melanoma tumors are the parotid gland, which is located below the ear behind the jaw, the udder, sheath, and sometimes on the legs. Yet cases of other areas being affected have been examed.

     Symptoms: Another sign of Melanoma besides the above described, is continuous lameness in the hind legs, especially in a gray or white horse. Have your veterinarian check for Melanoma.

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